The Light Side of the Universe
by Sephri
Summary: Alternate Universe. Rose and the Doctor were not separated at Canary Wharf. They continue to roam the universe in their home, the TARDIS. What sort of hijinks can these two get up to now? Rating subject to change as chapters are added.
1. Canary Wharf

_Author's Note: To much of the Doctor Who fandom, Canary Wharf is synonymous with 'why the hell would you write that?' Or maybe that's just me. However, let's cast a rather boring question into the exciting life of the Doctor. What if Canary Wharf had gone exactly as it was supposed to? What if "Bad Wolf" was a fairytale at the back of Rose Tyler's mind and she'd never heard of the Norwegian beach? What if the Doctor's heart was not broken?_

_This idea has been gnawing at the creative meat of my mind for some time and I thought I would share it. I would like to write a disclaimer in that _I have no idea where I'm going with this. _Please expect delays and writer's block. I will try my best to keep the story moving or end it quickly. Oh, and I don't own Doctor Who or any of its characters, etc. _

_Enjoy, _Seph

"Hold on, Rose!" The Doctor had his arms locked around his clamp and his eyes locked on the woman across the room from him. "Just hang on! It'll close soon!" he screamed over the gale. His eyes squinted against the rush of wind that howled around them and Rose's hair flew about her face. A Dalek swept through the broken windows and narrowly missed colliding with her on its final flight into the Void. The Doctor felt one of his hearts stop in fear as another Dalek crashed past them, carving a gash in the concrete floor. He heard them screaming and wished it was over. He braced his trainers against the lever's stand to hold his ground against the torrent.

Then out of the howl he heard his name and looked across the room to see Rose staring at him with those beautiful brown eyes. She called something to him, but he couldn't catch it. His eyebrows crinkled in confusion and she laughed. That was Rose. She was the only human he knew that would laugh at a time like this.

The Doctor looked back at the glowing white expanse of the Void and a great crackling noise began. There was creaking and scraping and the noise of crumpling paper then the glow of the Void was gone.

The Doctor collapsed onto the floor with a groan. He heard Rose's moan across the room and he looked up across to her. She was stirring barely, no doubt exhausted from clinging for her life. The Doctor just wanted to lie there, but he knew he couldn't. He had to make sure she was alright. He pulled himself to his hands and knees and crawled across to the blonde-haired young woman on the floor. "Rose?" he asked quietly. He reached out and laid his hand on her head.

She moaned and lifted her head. She blinked up at him blearily. "Did we do it?"

The Doctor chuckled exhaustedly, "Yes, they're gone."

Rose smiled and closed her eyes in a dead faint.

Only slightly concerned, the Doctor rubbed his face in his hands to try and start some sort of thought process. _Right,_ he thought. _Rose, TARDIS, now._ With all the strength he had, and some extra from the adrenaline, he got on one knee to better get up. He rolled Rose over onto her back and scooped her up in his arms. One arm behind her back and one behind her knees, he heaved to his feet, being careful to keep his balance. Her head rolled to rest on his shoulder and the Doctor began his way to the TARDIS.

They were safe. Earth was safe. They could rest. For now.

_A/N: What do you think? Please review and let me know! ~Seph_


	2. After the Fact

Rose sat up, disoriented. That dream, it had felt so real- so terrifying. Rose held her hands to her face and felt water. Was it truly so terrible that she had cried? It was already fading from her subconscious. All she could remember was darkness; Crushing darkness and loneliness, and not the kind of darkness of 'not-dreaming'. It was a darkness that was alive, cold and constricting and terribly, terribly isolated. She would liken it to a snake, a python that had never warmed itself in the sun. Then there was a light. She thought of the cliché of a light at the end of the tunnel. It saved her. She had felt a warm hand reaching for her, a tiny hand like a child's that wrapped around her forefinger. It led her out of the darkness.

Rose rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Are you alright?"

She jumped and looked for the source of the voice. Out of the shadows stepped the Doctor in a fresh suit, shirt and tie. He had his hands stuffed into his pockets and his eyes looked worried. Rose cleared her throat and played with the blanket of her bed. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just a bad dream." Finally taking a look at herself, Rose noticed she was still in her clothes from Torchwood. Rose smiled at the Doctor. "You put me to sleep with my clothes on?"

The Doctor pulled on his ear and smiled at her in his way. "Well, yeah. I wasn't going to just put you on the couch, was I?" He turned towards the door to her bedroom. "I'll make us something to eat, shall I?" He smiled and left the room. "I'll be in the kitchen when you're decent."

_Decent?_ Rose wondered at his sudden change in attitude. He'd never been so… prudish. She wondered if she had done something while she was passed out. She shrugged it off and started cleaning herself up.

After she'd showered and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank-top, she headed off to the kitchen. The TARDIS always seemed to make the kitchen difficult to find. It was like she hated people cooking in her or she wanted her inhabitants to eat out all the time. The TARDIS wanted her to eat fish and chips all the time and Rose wasn't sure if it was because they were her favorite or because the TARDIS hoped she'd get fat. Would the Doctor keep her around if she was fat? Rose wasn't sure but didn't want to find out either.

She twiddled a strand of hair around her finger as she searched the corridors of the TARDIS. When she finally found the kitchen she had twisted her blonde locks into braids and tied them off with hairbands.

The kitchen was very modern looking, something that she could imagine in a mansion. It had black granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and all the cabinets were painted white. What little bits of wall were visible were the same dark blue of the TARDIS's police box. Even with the cold steel and dark stone, Rose still felt like the kitchen was the warmest part of a home, even on an alien spaceship.

The Doctor was fussing about at the stove, cooking some random dish. Rose knocked on the cabinet to her left, warning him of her presence. He turned around and beamed. Rose stifled a laugh. The Doctor with a spatula in one hand and an apron around his neck shouting "Trust Me, I'm the Cook" was enough to send anyone to giggles. His jacket was hung on a hook meant for the apron and he had his sleeves rolled up to the elbows.

"What're you laughing at? I make fantastic breakfast-for-dinner, American-style!" He smiled that cheeky smile at her and she laughed again.

"American, eh?" She hopped up onto the counter by the sink and watched him. "I never knew you could be so _domestic_," she teased. She smiled sticking her tongue out through her teeth.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow and gave her a hard stare. "Don't you start with _that_," he mumbled. "I _am_ making your dinner. I could spit in your eggs and you wouldn't have any idea."

"But if you spit in the pan, you'll eat your own spit."

"So? It's my spit, I eat it all the time."

Rose couldn't understand why he made her feel so dumb sometimes. "Fine, I accept your challenge. I'll eat your spit, Doctor. Is that the only thing on the menu?" She raised an eyebrow at him in return.

"Nope, bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. Tried 'em in the early 21st century, thought they were brilliant. Little bit fattening, but breakfast in a sandwich? Couldn't resist."

"You said bacon. Have you already made it?"

"Yup, it's over there." He nodded his head to a corner of the kitchen and turned his attention back to the eggs. She leaned over and picked a piece up with her fingers. She like bacon almost as much as she liked chips. She nibbled on it and watched the Doctor.

A thought struck her and she decided to voice it. "Doctor, why were you in my room earlier?"

"I heard you yelling during your nightmare."

"It was just a dream, not a nightmare."

The Doctor turned the burner off and turned to look at her. "You can't lie to me, Rose."

**A/N: Yes, another chapter finally! Sorry about the wait. This one is rather boring but it's longer so, maybe that helps? Anyway, I'm hoping to update this once a week. With luck that will come true. I've never written for an audience that wasn't myself so, please excuse any deadlines missed! Thank you for reading, adding alerts and reviewing! They keep me writing **


	3. Serious Bacon Talks

Rose squirmed under the Doctor's gaze, barely meeting his eye for a second. He studied her with those dark eyes of his for almost a minute before returning to his task. He scooped the scrambled eggs off the pan and into a waiting bowl. Then he shed his apron, tossing it into the sink and picked up the bowl, a block of cheese and the plate of bacon. "Grab that loaf of bread will you?" he asked on his way towards a door Rose could swear wasn't there a minute before. Rose blinked twice, watching the Doctor disappear through it before hopping off the counter and picking up the bread loaf. Lastly, she took the Doctor's coat from the hook on the wall and followed him through to the next room.

It was a small sunroom with windows lining three walls, the fourth held the door back to the kitchen. The Doctor had already set down the bacon and eggs on the table and he stood behind one of the chairs waiting for Rose to sit down. Rose beamed at him and plopped her bottom down in the chair. With a 'thank you' to the Doctor, she set the bread loaf down and watched him leave once more. He returned carrying two plates, two glasses, some silverware and a bottle of orange juice. Setting the dishes and juice down, the Time Lord took the seat opposite Rose.

Rose licked her lips and scooped a spoonful of eggs onto a piece of bread. Next, she placed two strips of bacon on the eggs and topped it off with another slice of bread. All this time, the Doctor didn't move, he just watched her. Rose suddenly felt self-conscious in her own skin. "Doctor? Aren't you going to eat anything?" She took one of the glasses and poured a healthy portion of juice into it. The Doctor didn't reply, he didn't even shake his head to acknowledge her question. "What is it, Doctor?"

He crossed his arms and leaned against them on the table. "Rose, what do you remember about Canary Wharf?"

Rose carved a bit of cheese off the block and added it to her sandwich. "I remember Mum, the Cybermen and the Daleks. I remember the Breach and I remember that Mickey, Jake and Pete came to our world after following the Cybermen. That's really all I remember. The rest is sort of… dark. Fuzzy, like an old film. Why is that?"

The Doctor began in his rambling way, "Some sort of memory repression due to trauma, I'd guess. You'll probably remember after a few days."

"Trauma? What do you mean? What happened to me, Doctor?"

The man's brown eyes widened and he chuckled nervously, "No, nothing happened to you! Well, not just you. Technically it happened to the whole world." He cleared his throat. "Let me explain, all right?" He poured himself a glass of juice and took a long draft. After draining half of it, he paused and took a deep breath. "I had to figure out a way to get rid of the Daleks and the Cybermen quickly and without endangering anyone. So I sent everyone from Pete's World back through the Void with those teleport-jumper things they had." Rose blinked and took another piece of bacon to chew on. The Doctor wouldn't meet her eyes. "I tried to send you back," he confessed.

Rose stopped mid-bite. "Why would you do that? I told you 'forever', don't you remember?"

The Doctor still wouldn't look up. "I had to try. Your entire family, your whole life was going to another world that you would never be able to reach." Suddenly, he laughed. "But you wouldn't go! You almost died because you wouldn't leave me," he smiled. He finally looked at her. Their brown eyes met and a silent duel of determination began. Rose looked down at her plate, admitting defeat. "It would've been worse than death, actually, but it didn't happen so we shouldn't torture ourselves with what-ifs." He swallowed and continued, "Anyway, we defeated the Daleks and the Cybermen and closed the Breach in the Void. The thing is, your mother, Mickey, Pete, all of them are locked on the other side of it. You'll never see them again," he finished. He looked at her, studying her reaction.

Rose swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "So that's why you made all this. Breakfast, cooking, _domestics_… All because you felt like you needed to make it up to me?" The Doctor opened his mouth as if to object. "Nevertheless," Rose continued, "I appreciate it."

Rose put her hands on her knees and spread her fingers as she thought. "I told you that I'd travel with you forever. I meant it, Doctor. I will follow you whenever, wherever," she smiled sadly. "You're definitely stuck with me now."

The Doctor gave her a small smile and he took another drink. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked, looking at her over the rim of his glass.

Rose took a few moments, poking at her sandwich as she thought. She took a breath to begin but stopped herself once more. She played with her bacon, tapping it against the plate. She began once more, "Doctor," she broke off, choking a bit on her sadness. It had sunk in finally. "Is there any way to say goodbye to her?" she asked quietly.

The Doctor looked at her. Her soft brown eyes were misty and a tear hung on the end of her lashes. With a determination reserved only for his pink-and-yellow girl, he answered, "I will find a way. I promise." He reached his hand across the table to her. Rose looked at it, then him and smiled. Taking his cool fingers in hers, she murmured, "I'll hold you to that."


	4. Like in Films

It took two weeks. Two weeks of research and travelling to track down the last sliver left open between the universes.

"Could you write her a letter or something, Rose? I don't know how it could work exactly but maybe we could send her something small and it would survive." The breach they had found was nothing less than a black hole. The Doctor had wracked his brains for three days before remembering the tiny comment Rose had made ages ago.

On the planet Krop Tor, they had been stranded and discussing the very possibility of a planet orbiting a black hole when Rose had said something. _"In films and things, they say black holes are like gateways to another universe…"_ The Doctor's response was negligible at this point, but the comment made by Rose was something incredibly important. If a black hole could be a gateway to another universe, all the Doctor had to do was find the right black hole. The rest of the time had been spent finding the correct portal. There was no guarantee _when _the package would go through but as long as it was addressed correctly, perhaps they could pull a 'Back-to-the-Future' stunt.

"A what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor paused in his work with TARDIS console. "Blimey, you've never seen 'Back to the Future'? Rose, sometimes I wonder why you came with me in the first place. It's an American film from the 1980s. They made two sequels, and in one of them Doc Brown gets accidently sent back to 1885. He writes a letter to Marty McFly, the main character, explaining what happened but writes that it not be delivered to a specific place until a specific day."

Rose nodded. "But Doctor are you sure you'll be able to calculate the right date and place?"

The thin man shrugged as he flitted about his beloved machine. "Pete said that universe was three years ahead of this one. We could address it to Torchwood three years after Canary Wharf."

Rose frowned. "Why Torchwood?"

"Because I can't think of anywhere else. You come up with the place and the letter, I'll give you the time, alright?" The Doctor was distracted. As easy as he made it seem on Krop Tor, resisting the pull of a black hole was a lot harder than it looked. He had found the correct location, now he had to get the timing of when they arrived at the black hole exactly right. If he over shot it by one day, even an hour, the force of the black hole's gravitational pull could be too strong to resist for the TARDIS, especially after just materializing.

Rose leaned up against a rail, watching him work. What could she possibly say to her mother? She had left her for a man. Would she be angry, afraid, maybe even spiteful? Rose had never done anything like this so she had no prior experience to compare her mother's reaction to. Rose had always picked her mother over anything else. For the first time, she hadn't…

The Doctor let out a short bark of laughter and Rose looked up. "I found it! The perfect spot. We'll go there tomorrow. I know for a fact that I am exhausted from my calculations and _you_, Rose Tyler, have a letter to write."

Rose looked into his face, giving him a small smile. "Aye, I do."

The Doctor could see the pain and sadness in her eyes. He never meant to separate the two of them. He took her in his arms, resting his chin on her head. "I'm sorry, Rose. I'm so sorry."

Rose pulled away. "Oh stop it, you." She smacked him lightly on the arm and smiled at him again, happier. "I told you forever." With that, she turned and head towards her room. Hopefully she could find some paper and a pencil in the desk the TARDIS put in her room.


	5. Goodbye, Life

_My dearest Mum, _

_It's me, your Rosie. I miss you so much, and I knew you would be wondering what happened to me after you teleported to Pete's World. First, I want to tell you that I'm fine. The Doctor saved the Earth again, pulling the Daleks and Cybermen into the Void just like he promised. We were safe and alive, even though things couldn't be the same again. _

_I'm so sorry that I left you that day in Canary Wharf. I couldn't leave the Doctor on his own again. He's my best friend and if I lost him, I don't know if I'd survive in the life I had before. I've seen so many things with him that dropping everything to become just another human on an overpopulated planet would seem like hell. The Doctor is letting me write this letter to you as a sort of farewell. This is the only way I'll be able to say good-bye without the entirety of reality splintering. I'm not even sure that you'll get it…_

_Anyway, I feel like I need to explain myself. My entire life, you have taken care of me, and I've done my best to take care of you. We've been closer than any mother and daughter I know. That's why I'm so confused as to why I picked him over you. The thing is, Mum, he's so much more than a man. He's not just a bloke that I care about and want to be with. It's almost like he's become my world. He woke me up to an entirely new way to live my life. I—I couldn't leave all that behind. I feel so many things for the Doctor that I think I could write forever and never finish. _

_This is what I want you to get from this letter: Please understand that I'm not leaving you for a man. You've always been more important to me than any guy. The Doctor is so much more than a man and he needs me more than any man could. I had to choose. _

_Now you have Pete and an entirely new life to live. I wouldn't fit there. Please, don't be angry with me, don't feel like I ran away from you. Just remember that I love you more than anything and if I could change the past or put our universes together, I would do it in a heartbeat. I'll miss you from now until the day I day, but I want you to live your life. It's new and exciting and I wish you all the joy of it. _

_Don't forget me, but don't remember me, alright? We're on new adventures, both of us, and that's the way it is. _

_All my love, from this universe to the next,_

_Rose_

A teardrop quivered on her nose before staining the paper next to her name. Rose sniffed and quickly blotted it out with her sleeve. The paper was still warped with the moist droplet and Rose sighed. Some things couldn't be wiped out, she supposed. Rose folded the paper into thirds, trying not to let her hands shake. She opened another drawer in the desk and pulled out a pale pink envelope. A large stamp sat in the corner already, the backdrop a rose. The amount of postage was not written, but Rose was sure it would cover any number. She slipped the letter inside and began to seal it when something caught her eye. It was a framed picture of her mother. She kept it by her bed and whispered good night to it every time she closed her eyes.

When the thought struck her, Rose nearly sobbed out loud. Her mother had no pictures of her or their life in this universe now. Rose pushed back her chair and ran back to the console room with her letter clutched in her fist.

"Doctor?" she called softly. He wasn't there again. It seemed he was never in the console room very often anymore. "Doctor!" she called out. Rose huffed impatiently and headed for the hallway that led to the other rooms of the TARDIS.

After knocking on a door or two, the Doctor finally found Rose. He was shrugging on his jacket as he walked past Rose towards the console.

"All finished then? To the portal we go! Allons—" he chirped as he walked.

"Doctor, wait!"

He spun around and looked at her, his hair disheveled from his nap. "What?"

She took a deep breath and glanced down at the crinkled envelope in her hands. "We need to go back to Earth first."

"What? Why?" he queried. He was adjusting the collar on his jacket like he was barely listening.

Rose fixed her eyes on his face even as he busied himself. "I need to get a picture for her."

The Doctor stopped fussing and met Rose's gaze. "Oh, right. Of course." He smiled at her. "Come on then, pink-and-yellow. We've got some errands to run." He raised his eyebrows, smiled and charged off towards the console room with Rose right behind him.

They arrived with their usual flare, appearing out of nowhere on a street corner with the unusual whooshing noise as their herald. "All to shore, the Powell Estate!" quipped the Doctor, stepping out of the TARDIS doors in his trench coat. He stepped to one side and Rose exited behind him. The doors clicked shut behind her and the Doctor watched Rose step forward towards her old home.

Rose sniffed and muttered, "Welcome home."

With steady strides, she made her way upstairs to the apartment she had shared with her mother. The Doctor trailed behind, not sure if he should follow or not. He kept a safe distance, but made sure to keep her in his sight.

Rose was already inside when he reached the door. The cat flap was still there from when the plastic mannequins had attacked and the arm had climbed into her apartment. The Doctor smiled lightly and slipped through the door. Rose stood in the center of the kitchen, clutching her stomach. Her back was to the door, but the Doctor could see her shoulders shaking in silent cries. He came up behind her, stepping heavily enough that she knew he was there, and placed a hand on her back. She turned to him and buried her face in his shoulder. He hugged her tightly, letting her cry. Rose rarely cried so much. The last time he had seen Rose remotely near this upset was a regeneration ago when she lost her father. Even then was less severe than this.

"Do you need to go back to the TARDIS?" he asked softly. Rose didn't answer, but he could feel her attempting to calm herself.

She shook her head in his shoulder and stepped back from the Doctor. She straightened up and wiped at her face. Her make-up smeared across her cheeks and she cursed, "Oh, bollocks." She chuckled self-consciously, looking at the Doctor with watery eyes. "I'm a right sight, huh?" she joked.

The Doctor smiled sadly and began looking for something in his jacket. Finally, he produced a TARDIS blue handkerchief, which he handed to Rose. She sniffed and thanked him. The Doctor nodded and rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck. "I'm going—I'm going to go find a box, alright?"

Rose nodded to him, still dabbing at her eyes and face with his handkerchief.

The Doctor stepped away and began looking for a closet. A closet would have what he needed, a box of junk that could be emptied and refilled with whatever Rose wanted. The hall closet was filled with umbrellas and coats, nothing helpful. The linen closet bore similar items in the way they were not useful at all; Sheets, blankets, pillows, and other domestic things. The Doctor sighed. He would have to brave the bedrooms.


	6. What We Leave Behind

_**A/N: Yay for new chapters! So it's been about a week, not too bad. It was a helluva week for me but I cranked this out in about two hours :D I know it's kind of slow at the moment, but I really liked some of the reviews that congratulated me for going my own direction with the whole 'alternate universe' thing. So I'm trying to finish up with Rose and her mum before I get into the more exciting bits. I have some ideas already... sort of, but you'll have to wait for the next installment ;) I know, I'm terrible. Anyways,  
**_

_**Please, rate, review and enjoy!  
**_**Seph**

Bedrooms always seemed like such useless rooms to the Doctor. Being a Time Lord, he rarely used his and it always seemed so silly to have an entire room dedicated to a single piece of furniture. They always seemed boring and static to the Doctor, meant for sleeping and relaxing, two things he rarely had the time or patience for. He was always moving, for his own reasons, and bedrooms were where everything stopped. Not one of the Doctor's favorite hangouts for sure. Nevertheless, it was for Rose, and for her he would brave the darkest depths of his soul or the deepest closet of the most outrageous shoe-addict.

As luck would have it, though, that same Rose had beat him to the closet of her mother's bedroom. The Doctor let out a silent sigh of relief; one thing he wouldn't have to do. He stepped awkwardly into Jackie Tyler's bedroom, pulling self-consciously on his ear. Rose was kicking up quite a clatter in the small closet and the tall man stepped over to see if he could assist. Just in time, apparently, as a number of small shoe-boxes and knick-knacks tumbled out of the top of her mother's closet in an avalanche. The Doctor caught a few, managing to block most of the rest from hitting Rose, who had a moving box in her arms. She murmured a quick thanks after the objects stopped falling and hoisted the box onto her mother's bed. The Doctor wasn't sure what to do with the single shoes and the hat or two he had caught, so he just set them back on the floor of the closet.

Rose opened the box and took a deep breath. She turned her head towards the Doctor as he placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled sadly, tears springing to her eyes again. "It still smells like her," she admitted. Inside were mostly items from Rose's father: a bowling trophy, some photos, an award for some invention at the local fair. They were the things her mother packed away when Rose was young and her father had just died. Rose smiled and picked up a framed picture of her father holding a baby wrapped tightly in a blanket.

The Doctor said nothing. He moved his hand from her shoulder to her side and he hugged her comfortingly. He cleared his throat softly and said in a quiet voice, "I'm going to go pack up your clothes okay?"

Rose nodded as she set the photo back in the box. "The big suitcase is in the back of Mum's closet," she instructed. The Doctor left her side and Rose could hear him rummaging behind her. Then it was quiet. Rose took a deep, shaky breath, clutching at the side of the box. This could be harder than she thought.

An hour or so later, Rose joined the Doctor in her room. She gasped as soon as she opened the door. It looked like a tornado had been through there! Suddenly the Doctor appeared from the adjoining bathroom and Rose couldn't help a blast of laughter from escaping. He wore his thick-rimmed glasses and a large hat shaped like a mug of beer on his head. It was something Rose had gotten years ago at some St. Patty's Day festivities. She covered her mouth with one hand, holding the cardboard box under her other arm.

The Doctor himself spun around when he heard her and he looked positively wild. He looked so confused that he had gone beyond looking confused and now just looked raving mad! "Why?" he asked simply, panting.

"What?"

"Why do girls have so many clothes?" he asked desperately. The sonic screwdriver in his hand pulsed feebly as if echoing his inquiry.

Rose laughed again and set her box down on a small square of available space on the bed. The rest was littered with shirts, jackets, jeans, skirts, etc. Rose could probably eliminate half of the clothes she owned now by whether she could run in them. "Why don't you go round up the other photographs, hm? I'll finish up here," Rose smiled.

The Doctor nodded thankfully and headed for the door.

"Ahem, Doctor," she murmured. He turned around and she pointed at her head. He caught on and with lightning speed he whipped the obnoxious lager hat off his head.

Another hour had passed and Rose had packed up the clothes she knew she could use. Most of her nice dresses and skirts were hung back in the closet, as well as a few ghastly items from family that she had never worn and never planned to wear, in _any_ universe. She had managed to stuff her remaining pairs of jeans, some more t-shirts and jackets, a few pairs of sweatpants and pajamas and the entire contents of her underwear drawer into the 'big' suitcase. She had even slipped in her favorite party dress, for a special occasion, and a nice black skirt, for any 'professional look' she had to pull off. Now she didn't know if she'd be able to zip it shut though.

When the Doctor rejoined her with about half a dozen photographs in his arms, Rose was perched on top of the suitcase trying to get the zipper to close. The Time Lord smirked from his spot and a tiny giggle slipped from his lips. Rose looked up and scowled at him. "Come on, then! Make yourself useful!"

He set the pictures down gently nearby and came over to the bed. He kneeled down to better see and pulled out his sonic. Soon the familiar pulse filled the room and the Doctor slowly pulled the zipper closed.  
Rose hopped off the suitcase and puffed hotly. She'd been trying for ten minutes to close that! She muttered a thank you and turned her attention to the photos. Each of them was important, but Rose thought her favorite was from about three years ago. It was New Year's and Rose and her mum and mates had gone out to celebrate. The photo was in a pub and her mother had a beer bottle in one hand, but she was beaming happily. Rose herself had her arms around her mother's neck and was planting a kiss on her cheek.

Rose wasn't sure whether to keep that one or send it, until another caught her eye. It was her mother, twenty years younger with a baby in her arms. Pete's head sat on her shoulder and from the angle of the picture it was clear he was taking the photo with one arm. The young family was new and shining in its innocence and Rose was sure that was the one her mother would want.

Rose decided on that one and a picture of just Rose, older Rose, not an infant, would be the two she sent to her mother. Still, she put all the photographs into the cardboard box from her mother's closet. She gathered a few other items from her room, a piece of artwork, a book or two, and put them in the box before turning to the Doctor.

"Can you carry the box and I'll get the suitcase?" she asked shyly.

He nodded and hefted the box into his arms. She slid the suitcase off the bed and pulled up the handle so she could roll it. The Doctor raised his eyebrows in appreciation, then left the room. Rose wheeled the suitcase towards the door and took one last look around before turning off the lights of her room.

The Doctor had set the box on the kitchen table and was waiting for Rose. She rolled the suitcase in behind her and looked up at the Doctor.

"Anything else?" he asked softly.

Rose started to shake her head, but changed her mind. "I'll be right back." She ran back down the hall and returned shortly after with her mother's pillow under one arm. "Alright, we can go now."

The Doctor picked up the box and left the apartment, carefully opening the front door. Rose caught it after him and paused. This was the last time she'd be here. She would never come back to the Powell Estate; she knew it in her gut. Rose swallowed hard and took one more look at her home of twenty years. She took a shallow, shaky breath and murmured, "Good bye."


	7. Jackie's Life

_**Author's Note: OH MY RASSILON THIS TOOK SO LONG AND I'M SO SORRY! First I had major writer's block on how to even write this chapter, then I had finals, then I got sick, then I went on vacation, then I got sick again, then I had make-up work and now I'm in the hospital. Anyways, I hope to get the next chapters out faster since I already started them kind of. I really just wanted to wrap up with Jackie before I moved on. Any suggestions on where to go next, please leave me a review and I hope at least some of my readers are still around **_____

_**Thanks for reading,**_

**Sephri**

In a stately manor set away from London, a small happy family lived. The doorbell rang and a small dog started yapping in the parlor. A balding man in a nice work suit opened the door. The visitor was a postal delivery man. He had a satchel of mail over one shoulder and carried a large envelope in his hands. "Can I help you?" the owner of the house asked.

The delivery man replied, "I have a letter for Jackie Tyler."

"You could've just stuck it in the mailbox, mate," the bald man joked, taking the envelope. He turned to look over his shoulder into the house. "Jackie, mail for you!"

The postman smiled "Sorry, sir. Special delivery." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a clipboard and pen. "Can you sign here, please?"

Pete tucked the envelope under his arm and took the offered pen. Just as he finished scribbling his signature, a blonde woman came down the stairs, fastening the back on her earring. "Who's it from then?"

"Dunno yet," Pete answered. "Here you take it." He handed the letter to his wife. Turning back to the delivery man, he thanked him for his time and shut the door. When he turned to face his wife, he realized she hadn't moved since she had taken the letter from him. "Jackie? Are you alright?"

Jackie's eyes were misty and her mouth was slightly open in amazement. The letter in her hands was shaking slightly. Pete cleared his throat and Jackie jumped slightly. "It's—it's her handwriting," she murmured, her voice breaking.

"Whose? Rose's?" Pete asked disbelieving. He came to her side and scanned the address on the envelope. "Are you sure?"

Jackie recoiled from him and smacked him gently on the stomach. "She's my daughter, of course I'm sure!" Heading into the parlor, she gently pried open the envelope. The small terrier that had previously announced the mail yipped at Jackie's feet as she made her way to one of the armchairs. Jackie shook the contents of the envelope onto her lap and perused them. Some photographs and a letter spilled out and Jackie gathered them up like they were precious jewels. Jackie took a shaky breath; she had been waiting, hoping for some word from her lost flower for years and receiving this letter was like a miracle. With each photograph, she took a few minutes to study them extensively, even stroking her fingers along the edges as if to assure herself they were real. She held them to her heart and tried to control her emotions so she could read the letter. Opening it carefully, she read it over three times. Her tears couldn't be held back anymore and, being careful to keep the paper dry, she refolded it and held it with the pictures.

Jackie could never blame her daughter. She loved her too much to hold something against her like that. Even though she never fully approved of the Doctor, Jackie could tell that Rose loved him. Call it a mother's intuition or simply her own perceptive nature, but Jackie knew that separating Rose and the Doctor would have wounded them both. She would be happier there with him than she could have been here, separated forever.

There was a quiet knock on the door frame and Jackie looked up. Pete stood in the doorway with their toddler Tony on his hip. "Are you alright, sweetheart?" he asked gently.

Jackie gave him a watery smile. "I'll be okay," she answered. She took her letter and photos and slipped them back in the envelope, setting it down on a side table. "Hello, my beautiful boy," she cooed, turning her attention to the little blonde boy. He laughed and reached out for her, his tiny fingers grasping. Jackie took him from her husband and kissed his cheek. "We'll be better than okay," she promised. Pete smiled and kissed Jackie on the forehead. Rose was right. They were on to new adventures.


	8. Intro- The Runaway Bride

**A/N: OKAY, this is really short but it is just something to get it started. Plus, this is where Donna comes in and where the break is in the actual episode so I thought, what the heck? Please enjoy and I look forward to continuing this series with you all.**

**Yours, **

**Sephri**

Spinning slowly in the orbit of a black hole, the TARDIS and her cargo of two waited and rested.

Rose and the Doctor leaned against the console, their eyes fixed on the TARDIS' monitor. They watched the small lonely package float forward into the black hole and saw it be pulled into the darkness.

"There we are then. It's out of our hands now." The Doctor turned from the monitor, looking to Rose's face instead. Her reaction to this trip would be an important factor in where they went next.

Rose felt him looking and dropped her face. She took a deep breath, sniffling slightly before looking back at him. "So, now what? Same old thing?"

The Doctor turned, leaning against the console and crossing his arms. "Well, we could do that. We could. Honestly, I don't think we have any control over what we do anymore. Seems something always goes wrong in the end, doesn't it? Sometimes…" He trailed off, looking at something behind Rose toward the TARDIS' door. His brow crinkled and his mouth dropped open in concern and surprise.

"Doctor?" Rose said. He still seemed distracted. She turned around to see what he'd found and her own mouth fell open. Across the room, near the door of the TARDIS stood a woman in a long white dress. She had long red hair and wore a veil. "What?"

"Exactly," the Doctor replied.

The woman turned to face them then made a surprised squeaking sound. She seemed to grit her teeth before almost yelling out, "Who are you? Where am I? What the hell is this place?"


	9. The Runaway Bride: Part One

**Author's Note: Okay, last one was short but hey! You don't have to wait as long right? Anyways, here it is, the Runaway Bride Part One. There will probably be three parts and because I don't want to rewrite the entire episode, expect some gaps. I also, don't really like watching the Runaway Bride because it makes me sad. Some of this is taken, verbatim from the episode but the rest will be pretty much off script. I hope. Whatever. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it, right? Now I'm rambling. **

**Please enjoy,**

**Sephri**

"I demand you tell me where I am, right now!"

"What—"

"Right now!"

"How did you even get on board?"

"Doctor-" Rose started.

"No, you don't understand," he started, turning to his companion. "We are in flight. It's physically impossible to just appear onboard while we're in flight!"

The woman in white roared angrily, "Where the hell am I!?"

Rose held up her hands as if approaching some feral creature. "Calm down, sweetheart. You are in the TARDIS."

"What!? Don't patronize me. Tell me where I am!"

"I just did!"

"What the hell is a TARDIS? It isn't even a proper word! No, I don't care. Just take me home now!"

"Why are you dressed like that?" the Doctor asked suddenly.

Rose rolled her eyes. He could be so tactless.

"I was getting married, you dumbo! Halfway down the aisle when some skinny weirdo and his blonde bimbo kidnap me and now, you're telling me I'm not supposed to be here!"

Rose crossed her arms and leveled a glare at the redhead. "Well, I'm sure we can get you home quickly," she commented adding to herself, "provided we don't throw you into a supernova first…" She leaned against the console and waited for the Doctor to get going. Rose wasn't a bimbo and she was keen to get this loud bridezilla on her way to her poor fiancé.

"Who hired you anyway? Who's paying you? Was it Nerys?" the redhead babbled on.

The Doctor just stood there, confused and staring. "Who the hell is Nerys?"

"Your best friend! Oh, she has finally got me back, hasn't she? Well, just wait until I get ahold of her! My husband and I will have the police on her… and you and Blondie! We'll sue every one of you! Well, when he is my husband."

"Why is it always Blondie?" Rose sulked.

"How could you do this to me? I waited my whole life to get married and here you come in and—I don't know, drug me or something!"

"We haven't done anything!" The Doctor insisted. He gave Rose a look and started messing about with the TARDIS controls.

As if the ginger was suddenly using her eyes, she noticed the door of the TARDIS and made for the ramp. Rose jumped up to block it. "You can't go out there."

"Out of my way! I'm getting out of here and as soon as I do, you two will be in big trouble!" She pulled Rose out of the way, lifted her skirt and made for the door.

"Don't-!"

Too late as she had already pulled the doors open and was confronted with the gaping maw of a black hole. "Wha-?"

The Doctor came to her side, gentle and trying not to spook her. "You're in space. This is the TARDIS. She's my space…ship."

She gazed out in wonder. "How are we breathing?"

Rose piped up from back near the console. "The TARDIS is protecting us."

The red head looked away from the darkness and stared at the Doctor. "Who are you people?"

"I'm the Doctor," he explained, meeting her eye. He gestured behind him, "This is Rose Tyler."

Rose gave her a little wave from her spot up the ramp, though her smile didn't reach her eyes. "What's your name, then?"

She blinked and looked back into space. "Donna."

"Are you human?" Rose asked. The Doctor gave her a look and she shrugged.

"Yeah, of course."

"Well, you never know…" she murmured.

Donna spun around. "What, you aren't human then, Blondie?"

"She is." The Doctor answered. He shut the door and sprinted back up the ramp. "I, on the other hand, am a different story."

"You're an alien." She stated almost breathlessly.

"Yup," chorused Rose and the Doctor. They smiled at each other before turning back to the controls.

Donna stared at them. "What are you two then? Married? Sidekicks?

"No, uh…" The Doctor started. Rose looked at him, keeping her mouth shut. "We're uh, we're just, um, friends." Rose looked back down at her hands, trying to busy herself with anything.

Donna crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. Lucky for them, the Doctor hated talking about relationships.

"Okay, here's the thing: I don't understand and I understand everything! There is no way a human being can lock on to the TARDIS and teleport inside."

Rose held up a finger. "You've said that before and it happened."

"What are you talking about?"

"We did stand on a space station on a planet orbiting a black hole, may I remind you."

"Well…" The Doctor rubbed his chin and carried on. "Anyways, ignoring that it is _most likely_ impossible… what is it?" He pulled out an instrument that resembled an ophthalmoscope and stared at Donna's face. "Maybe it's some sort of subatomic connection, something in the temporal field? Maybe it's pulling you into alignment with the chronon shield or macromining your DNA with the interior matrix. Maybe it's a genetic—" He broke off in surprise as his new guest's hand collided with the side of his face.

"Doctor!" Rose cried out.

He held a hand to his cheek and stared at Donna in astonishment. "What was that for!?"

Donna looked like she could spit. "Get me to the church!" she roared.


	10. The Runaway Bride: Part Two

**_Author's Note: _A note to any and all readers. I officially hate trying to rewrite episodes. Don't expect many more in the future. It's quite probable that I'll figure out some way to skip the rest of the episode, make it a flashback or something like that so I only have to write the important bits. Bear with me, I know this was way too long in coming but once you get started it's supposed to get easier, right?**

**Wish me luck,**

**Sephri**

In a back alley a large wooden blue box materialized out of thin air. A red-headed woman in a wedding dress stepped out from the doors.

"I said, "Saint Mary's". What is this? What kind of Martian are you?" Donna growled.

Rose and the Doctor followed her out. Rose was still miffed about Donna's earlier comments and rolled her eyes again. "He's not from Mars," she responded. She looked to her alien colleague for some clarification but he was inspecting the TARDIS with a disturbed look on his face. "Doctor?"

"Something's wrong with her…" He murmured. He stroked her side and laid his head to her paneling. "It's like she's recalibrating." He frowned and made for the console, pausing to instruct Rose. "Talk to her, find out if she's had any sort of alien contact. I need to see what's wrong with the TARDIS."

Rose made to object but the Time Lord had already disappeared back inside his ship. Rose sighed in exasperation. "Right, Donna—"

"Leave me alone," she hissed, seeming terrified and frustrated at the same time. "I just want to get married." She spun on her heel and stomped towards the end of the alley.

Rose ran after. "Wait, Donna it's not safe! We need to find out what happened. Please, just wait for the Doctor." She grabbed her arm to try and stall her.

"Let go of me! You're all mad! He's mad, you're mad, that box is mad, you're all mad!" She hurried off again towards the main street.

Rose hurried back to the Doctor and called in, "Doctor, she's running off. We have to hurry!"

The lanky man sprinted down the ramp and out the doors, pulling them shut behind him. "Come on, then," he chattered. He scooped up Rose's hand in his and smiled his cheeky grin. "We're late for a wedding."

The duo broke into a run chasing down their bride-to-be. "Donna, wait! We need to talk to you." She is busy trying to hail a cab when they finally catch up.

"What part of 'leave me alone' don't you understand?" She growled vehemently. She waved her arm in another vain attempt to hail a passing taxi but it ignored her. "It's ten past three! I'm missing my own wedding!" she yelled heatedly.

Rose is the first to speak again, "Why don't you call them? I have my mobile. You can dial them and tell them where you are." Rose drew it from her pocket and offered it to the distressed woman.

Donna stopped in her tracks. "Um, yeah. Thanks." She took the phone and started to dial, walking quickly down the road. "Mum, please pick up!" she mumbled.

Rose and the Doctor follow her and start comparing notes. "She certainly acts human. She's got the attitude," Rose observed.

The Doctor rubbed his chin, "Reminds me of your mother." Rose smiled for a moment before remembering sadly what happened. The Doctor glanced at her and realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, that was tactless."

Rose chuckled. "You recognized that?"

"Oi, what's that mean?" The Doctor recoiled.

Rose tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling again. "Nothing, Doctor. It just reminds me of the old you."

"Oh," the Doctor contemplated for a moment before a smile split his cheeks.

Donna approached them again, still steaming. "I can't get hold of them." She held out the phone to Rose. "Thanks for that. I'm going to try and get back."

Rose took the mobile back and pocketed it. "How? You haven't got money or your own phone."

The Doctor nodded. "She's right. Why don't we go back to the TARDIS and we can give you a lift?"

Donna shook her head aggressively. "Why don't you just lend me some money? It's the least you can do, since, you know, you kidnapped me."

Rose rolled her eyes again and looked past the confrontation, deciding not to get involved. A band of Santas playing brass instruments caught her eye across the way. There was something off about them and a memory floated to her mind's eye. Mickey by her side as they walked through a crowded market, they talked about the Doctor, sick in bed at the time, and Christmas and her mother. Then the same Santas that she saw across the road had ambushed them, spewing flames from their instruments. Rose gasped. "Doctor, look! Across the road."

The Doctor followed her gesture and grew very serious. "Donna, is it Christmas?"

Donna rolled her eyes, "Of course, it's Christmas. Why are you changing the subject?" She shaded her eyes and peered across the road as well. "What, it's just some band in costume." She turned back to the business at hand, getting a taxi.

"Come on, Donna," the Doctor warned, taking her arm. "It's not safe. Those Santas are dangerous."

Donna recoiled from him. "What the hell are you on about, dangerous Santas? I'm going to my wedding now and you will not stop me." She waved down another cab and this one stopped for her.

The Doctor held out his hands, trying to stall her a moment more. "At least let us go with you, to protect you."

Donna scoffed. "Protect me from what? Christmas trees?"

"Yes, exactly!" The Doctor babbled. "Evil Christmas trees and Santa-masked pyromaniacs! Please I'll take you to your wedding right now, ten minutes ago even, just come with me please!"

"What do you mean ten minutes?" Donna queried.

"I'll explain on the way," Rose offered. She felt like she had been a bit harsh on the woman since they had met and owed her something. She set her hand on the bride's shoulder.

Donna's brow wrinkled as she thought over their offer. "I suppose…" she trailed off.

Rose beamed and the Doctor smiled, though his eyes were still dark with worry. Rose took his hand and Donna's and headed back towards the TARDIS. "As you said, Doctor, we have a wedding to get to!" she chirped. She pulled the two along with her briskly. Yet as they neared the alleyway, she slowed and leaned against the wall.

"Rose, are you alright?" the Doctor asked catching her as she slid down the bricks.

Her eyes were heavy and she couldn't think straight. "I don't know… I feel kind of… drained suddenly." She shook her head, groaning. "We need to get back to the TARDIS," she murmured. She sighed and her eyes closed.

"What's wrong with her?" Donna asked. "Is she alright?"

The Doctor checked her pulse at her neck and breathed a sigh of relief. "She's unconscious." He scooped her into his arms. "We need to get to the TARDIS. There are things going on here that I don't understand." He took off at a light jog, checking over his shoulder.

Donna followed with her skirt in her hands. "And you understand everything, right?"

"Yes, usually," the Doctor puffed. He scratched at the door of the TARDIS with his trainer and she opened. "Thanks, love," he murmured as he walked in, Donna on his heels. She closed the door behind them. He found a flat shelf-like surface to lay Rose on where he could observe her and still operate the TARDIS. He pulled his coat from its place on the coral support and folded it up. He placed it under her head and brushed the hair from her face. His face softened for a moment before jumping into action. "Right, Saint Mary's, Chiswick, London!" he crowed. He flipped a lever and the TARDIS shuddered. "Hold on tight, Donna."


	11. The Runaway Bride: Conclusion

_**A/N: Here it is: the last part of the Runaway Bride! Hallelujah. Anyways, now I can get into my own writing. I'll pop in one or two episodes I think would be fun, but mostly it will be my own stuff. Here's the conclusion, probably seven hundred words (the italicized parts) are flashback/ from the episode but hey, it's here.**_

_**Please Enjoy!**_

_**Yours, Sephri**_

It was a soft warm glow of a feeling that encircled Rose. She could feel a warmth in her chest and in her head that was comforting and protective. There was something musical about it that seemed familiar but Rose could not place it. She moaned happily. It was a lovely feeling and Rose dreaded the thought of opening her eyes. But she did open them.

It was a bleary mess at first, all shapes and colors. She groaned again and rubbed her hand over her face. It was bright for her room, she usually had a darkened atmosphere. She usually woke up to the brown paneling in her room and the dark pink curtains. This room was light blue with bright lighting and it was definitely not her bed that she was sleeping in.

"How are you feeling, Rose?" The Doctor asked. He was sitting at the side of her bed. Apparently they were in the hospital part of the TARDIS. Rose smiled at him—he was always overreacting.

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "I'm fine. In fact, I feel amazing. Why are you so concerned about a fainting spell? I hadn't eaten all day, you know." Rose tried to sit up but felt the room spin around her. She closed her eyes and laid back down.

"Stay still, you need to adjust."

Rose looked at his face. It was blank, like when he tried to hide something. "What's going on, Doctor? What's wrong?" He checked some monitors at her side and avoided her eyes. Rose took his arm. "Tell me."

He sat back down and looked her in the face. "You've been unconscious for two days now."

Rose glared at him. "You let me sleep for two days? Why?"

"You really think I would let you do that? I'd never hear the end of it…"

Rose glared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" He smirked at the sheets. "And if you didn't mean to let me sleep then why did I?"

The Doctor laced his fingers together and set them on the bed. "I don't know. I have an idea but I'm not sure."

Rose stared at him waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. Instead Rose tried again to get up, this time sitting up without swooning. Rose twiddled her fingers on the blanket of the bed and looked at him again. "Are you going to tell me what you think?" she asked gently.

"It's a little complicated," he answered. "I'm not sure if I should tell you."

Rose placed her hand on his hands and he looked up at her. "I'm kind of smart, you know. I've been around you for too long," she joked.

The Doctor smiled at her and cleared his throat. Taking a deep breath, he tried to explain, "I think you've suffered from Huon particle overload. It's not actually an affliction but given what happened with our unexpected guest, Donna, that's what I think happened."

Rose's brow knit in concern. "Huon particles? What are those?" Suddenly her stomach growled and she swallowed self-consciously. "Maybe you could explain it over some food?" she suggested.

The Doctor nodded and beamed at her. "Humans, always feeding, aren't you?"

After a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich and a change of clothes, Rose was sitting on the console of the TARDIS kicking her legs back-and-forth like a child and sucking on a banana smoothie. "So what happened after I passed out?"

The Doctor sat back on the jump seat and faced Rose. "Well, I took Donna to her wedding. She forgot that I said I'd take her back before the ceremony so at least there wasn't that mess to deal with. We made it to the reception which they had started without her."

"That's not very sporting of them," Rose interjected.

"No, indeed, and she told them so." The Doctor laced his fingers and stretched out his legs in a more comfortable position. "Then there was dancing and music, all good wedding fun. Missed you terribly, I could've used a dance partner. Anyways, those Santas showed up again and started blowing up the place with remote-controlled ornaments."

Rose's eyebrows raised in skepticism. "They do love their Christmas decorations."

The Doctor continued. "Anyways, after I stopped the Santas with my lovely sonic, I traced the signal that was controlling them to a ship in the sky."

"Wait, the Santas were being controlled?" Rose clarified. "That's different from last time."

He nodded. "I figure something took over them. Anyways, turned out that Donna was full of those Huon particles and the thing controlling the robots had put them there."

Rose still had millions of questions but she knew the Doctor was getting to it.

"Her fiancé Lance had been working with the thing controlling the robots and had been dosing her with the particles for six months. The thing controlling all of this was called the Empress of the Racnoss. She was the last of them and she had come to earth to rebuild her species." The Doctor slowed in his recounting. It was a tender subject for him, the last of any species. He cleared his throat and continued, "At the center of the Earth was a derelict ship of the Racnoss that had gone into hibernation billions of years ago when they couldn't find any food. The Empress intended to use Donna and the Huon particles to resurrect them and then she would let them gorge themselves on humanity." His voice had hardened. In his mind's eye, the events passed quickly:

_The Empress reared up before him on her spidery limbs and snarled up at him. He stood on the stair landing above her. The chittering and screeching of her children in the hole grated against his skin. Everything in him said to continue with the plan, offer no mercy, but his thoughts turned to Rose, unconscious, possibly dying and he knew she would not slaughter them like he would have. _

_He stared down the crimson insect and projected, "Empress of the Racnoss - I give you one last chance. I can find you a planet. I can find you a place in the universe to coexist. Take that offer and end this now." _

_She chortled and snapped her jaws together. "These men are so funny."_

"_What is your answer?"_

_She sneered at him and bared her teeth, almost a smile from what the Doctor could tell. "I'm afraid I have to decline." She cackled and rubbed her scythe-like claws together. _

_The Doctor's heart sank a moment in his chest. "What happens next is your own doing."_

_The Empress bared her teeth again and commanded the robots surrounding the room to take aim. The Doctor switched them off with the remote in his pocket, pulling it out and showing it off to the Empress and Donna. _

_The red spider screeched. "No matter! My children shall feast on Martian flesh!"_

_The Doctor's gaze was cold as he met the Empress' multiple orbs. "Oh, but I'm not from Mars. My home planet is far away and long since gone. But its name lives on."_

_The Empress' eyes narrowed. "Then where?"_

"_Gallifrey."_

_She reared back and spat in anger. "They murdered the Racnoss!"_

_The Doctor blinked once. "I warned you. You brought this." From his pocket he produced a number of Christmas ornaments like the ones from the reception. He tossed them into the air and they went to work. Some smashed through walls, letting water flood in. Another exploded near the Empress and another smashed another wall, lighting something else on fire. The Doctor stood still watching the Empress' life crumble. The water rushed in and flooded the hole. He heard her wails of despair and her children's screeches of terror but he did not move. The flames consumed the spider and the waters drowned her offspring and he just watched. _Why did it have to end like this?

_He heard a noise. Something called his name. _Rose?_ He thought. There it was again, stronger. The Doctor looked down to see Donna calling him. "You can stop now!" she warned. _

_He couldn't stop… she burned before him and all he could do was watch. _What a waste._ He shook his head and called to Donna. "Come on! Time I got you out!"_

_The Doctor and Donna escaped up the stairs. But the Empress had transported back to her ship. As the Doctor and Donna broke through the surface and stepped out on the Thames, they saw a large star-like ship splintering as shells broke its fragile surface. It was almost festive the way it was shaped and the way it burst. The Doctor and Donna cheered as it exploded once more and disintegrated. _

_Sopping wet as she was, Donna took stock of their surroundings and began to laugh._

_The Doctor looked at her worried. "Donna, what's wrong?"_

_She chuckled again and pointed around them. "We've drained the Thames."_

_The two laughed._

The Doctor broke out of his reverie. "And I stopped them," he finished rather anti-climatically.

Rose could tell something was wrong but she did not press the matter. Instead, she slurped at the dregs of her smoothie and licked her lips. "And what about Donna? Was she alright?"

"Yes of course, the Doctor nodded. "Little wet, a little disheartened, after all she didn't get married, but she'll be fine."

Rose swirled the straw in her drink. "Did you invite her along?" she murmured.

"Of course. She didn't have the heart for it though. Not like you," he smirked.

Rose grinned and felt her face flush. It wasn't that she didn't like Donna, she just liked being the Doctor's mate—companion and didn't want anyone messing that up. Something bothered the back of her mind but Rose pushed it away. She yawned laboriously. "Am I okay then? You said I had some kind of overload from those particles."

The Doctor's eyes darkened and his face grew stiff. "You're tired. You should rest. We can talk about it later."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Fine." She hopped off the console and handed her smoothie cup to the Doctor. "But we will talk about it," she promised. The Doctor didn't meet her eyes and she sighed. "Good night, Doctor." She stalked off towards her room, perhaps a little sulky that he wouldn't tell her what had happened.

When she disappeared from the room, the Doctor set down her cup on the jump seat and leaned against the console. "Good night, my Rose," he sighed.


	12. Take a Seat Tonight

_**Author's Note:**_** I know it's been a few weeks and I apologize. It's the end of senior year so I'm getting ready for graduation, not to mention I had prom and my 18th birthday in the past two weeks. So, thank you for your patience and your continued following of this story. This chapter has over 1000 words so I'm hoping it can satisfy my readers for a few more weeks (until I graduate). Or until I get supremely inspired, haha. Anyways, please enjoy this next installment.**

**Yours Truly,  
****Sephri****  
**

Rose couldn't sleep. Her mind was buzzing, itching with an unanswered question. She repositioned herself under her sheets, nuzzling deeper into the pillows and sheets. She tossed and turned, rolling onto her back, flipping the pillow over to the cool side of it. Thirty minutes later, she still could not calm down enough to drift off. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. What was so important, so terrifying, so dangerous that the Doctor felt he could not tell her? It was unnerving that, even after all this time, he felt she could not be trusted to know what was bothering him. She thought Canary Wharf had changed something between them, strengthened what they had—whatever that was. But now it looked like they had taken a step back instead.

She heard a soft scuffle from the shadows of her room and stiffened. The TARDIS didn't have pests, like mice, so what could that noise be? Rose gathered her blankets closer to her. The night a few weeks ago sprang to mind and Rose smirked. Why did he think he needed to hide?

"Doctor, you're making me nervous. If you are going to hang around while I sleep, at least stand somewhere I can see you."

"How would you know if your eyes are closed?" came the rebuttal. Rose's eyes flickered to a disturbance in the dark as the Doctor stepped forward, hands in pockets, into the silvery light that the fake window on the wall created. Rose loved how the TARDIS could create the illusion of a real house on a time-traveling spaceship. The breakfast nook from a few weeks ago had a similar illusion in its windows. Then however, it was a space-scape of a nebula that surrounded them.

"How are you feeling?" asked the Doctor.

Rose smirked ruefully. "Like I've been asleep for two days. I can't get comfortable." She dropped her gaze to her hands on the blanket. "It doesn't help that you're keeping secrets from me."

The Doctor rested his hand on the back of his neck and shuffled his feet. "Rose, it's a lot more complicated than you are making it seem."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Please. Why are you afraid to trust me?"

"I'm afraid of endangering you," the Doctor admitted.

Rose met his gaze steadily. The Doctor shoved his hands back in his pockets and shifted his weight. Rose patted the bed next to her, inviting her friend to sit next to her. He sidled closer and perched himself on the edge of the mattress. He was still in a suit and his sneakers.

"Do you ever relax, Doctor?" Rose couldn't understand how he could walk around all day in those clothes and not take them off to sleep or relax.

He gave her a small half-smile. "You'd be surprised how comfortable my suits can be. They are incredibly soft. And converse are one of the most comfortable breeds of shoe."

Rose smiled. "Don't you like the feeling of, after a long day, slipping your tired feet between the covers and rubbing them along the fabric?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know that feeling. Besides, I can't let my feet get too soft or they won't be able to handle all the running they do."

Rose stared incredulously. "You've never done that?" she gaped. She narrowed her eyes mischievously. "Take off your shoes then. It's time for you to try it."

The Doctor shook his head vigorously and covered the laces of his sneakers with his hands. "No, I don't like showing my feet. They are mine and no one else can see them."

Rose laughed out loud. "Are you serious? You know I've already seen them. When you first became," she trailed off, searching for the right words. "When you first changed, me and Mum had to get you into bed and Mum is not one to let shoes in her bed, mark my words. In fact, don't you remember? We changed you into pajamas." Rose smirked at him, maybe blushing a bit at the memory. She was no prude, but the fact that the Doctor was and she had seen him undressed, well, it was exciting and embarrassing.

The Doctor himself flushed and pulled on his ear. "Well, mark me, if I had been conscious, you wouldn't have gotten one button undone."

_Oh, but we did,_ Rose mused maliciously. Of course, back when the memory actually occurred, Rose had been too worried about the Doctor's condition to really savor the moment. Now, it often kept her awake.

As that idea crept through her mind, Rose stiffened. Had the Doctor ever watched her… fantasizing? If he watched her often enough, she was sure he had. She had to ask, probably set down some rules. Rose cleared her throat, the mystery of Huon particles and Donna Noble all but forgotten at the moment in the shadow of a much more personal conflict. "Doctor, how often do you watch me sleep?"

The Doctor took a breath, then let it out as if he could not decide on an answer. "Often. Almost every night." Rose felt her body heat rising as she blushed. How could he be so intrusive? "I wait until you've fallen asleep though, so I won't freak you out."

Rose snorted nervously. "Oh yes, because watching someone sleep is totally normal."

The Doctor shrugged. "I'm not normal. Not by anyone's standards, don't you agree?"

"Not even by Timelord standards?"

It was the Doctor's turn to snort this time. "Definitely not."

Rose smiled and fiddled with her blanket again. She leaned back against the pillows and headboard, still messing about with her covers. She stared at the Doctor's back, studying him and remembering. She didn't know if he'd ever sat on her bed before. It was kind of fascinating; Like watching a newly introduced species in a new habitat. He seemed ill-at-ease but he was making an attempt to relax at least. Rose coughed and suggested, "You can come lean back if you'd like. There's plenty of room for both of us."

The Doctor didn't move at first and Rose wondered if he'd heard her. Then he started undressing. He took of his shoes, setting them on the floor next to the bed, then his jacket, folding it nicely and laying it at the end of the bed. Then he got comfortable, leaning back alongside Rose. He interlaced his fingers and set them on his stomach, as if he were trapping them.

Rose looked at him and smiled. Rose studied his face intently. For once, it was smooth and she could almost believe he wasn't worried. He turned his face to her and smiled. "What are you looking at?"

Rose smirked again and looked at her hands on the pink comforter. "Just you."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Rose spoke again. "Are we going to talk about what happened, Doctor? What's wrong with me?"


	13. Changes For Better or Worse

He didn't say anything at first. Rose turned her head to look at him. His eyes were guarded and a small valley now creased the space between his eyebrows. "Doctor, what's wrong with me?"

He sighed heavily before replying, "Nothing. You are perfect."

Rose blushed and flattened the blanket across her lap. "While I appreciate the compliment, that's not what I meant and you know it." She sat up and pinned the Doctor with hard caramel eyes. "If I guess, will you tell me if I'm right?"

The Doctor smirked again. "No, no twenty questions. I'll try to explain. Can you bear with me? It may take some back-tracking."

Rose readjusted her position, snuggling her mother's pillow, then nodded.

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Huon particles are ancient. The Timelords destroyed them eons ago because they were dangerous. Now, the only place you can find one is in the heart of a TARDIS. The Empress of the Racnoss figured out how to recreate them but they needed a human host to catalyze in. That's where Donna came in. Her fiancé Lance dosed her with enough particles over six months that the Empress had enough to awaken her children. You know, the ones dormant in the center of the earth. The Empress awoke her children and Donna was drained of the particles so she is fine now."

Rose couldn't help it, she had to break in. "Wait a minute. You said I passed out because of Huon particle overload. Did the particles affecting me get drained out of me as well?"

The Doctor fixed her with a look. "I'm getting to that. Didn't I say bear with me?" he smirked. "Yes, you had Huon particle overload but… yours came because you were around more particles than you could handle."

"More than I could handle? Do I have some sort of extra-terrestrial tolerance for the stuff after being around the TARDIS?"

"In a way." He rubbed his face and crossed his arms. "What do you remember about the Game Station?"

"I remember…" Rose trailed off. She could remember… a little. So many things happened after the Game Station that she rarely thought about it. Now that she was, there were so many unanswered questions. "I remember that… you sent me away. You sent me home, to Mickey and Mum." Her forehead furrowed and her mouth began to pout. "Why did you do that?"

The Doctor inhaled deeply. "I had to keep you safe. I promised Jackie." Rose's eyes grew misty and she slumped back against the headboard again. The Doctor wouldn't even look in her direction. "What else do you remember?"

Rose's eyes narrowed in concentration. "I remember I wanted to come back. I remember Mickey, Mum, and I trying to open the TARDIS so I could communicate with her. The last thing I remember is that light… like the one when we helped the Slitheen, Margaret. And there was a song. A singing…" Rose trailed off. She knew now why the song she had heard while she slept was so familiar. It was something to do with the TARDIS. "Then I woke up on the TARDIS and you… you changed."

The Doctor closed his eyes. Breathing slowly and evenly, he began, "When you opened the heart of the TARDIS, you looked directly into her soul. She gave some of her time energy to you, Rose. You became a god, the Bad Wolf."

"Bad Wolf," Rose repeated.

"The TARDIS also gave you another part of her it seems. I told you that the only remnants of Huon particles are found in the heart of a TARDIS. Well, when you looked into her heart, the TARDIS split her Huon particles and imparted half of them to you."

Rose tried to process what that could mean. "Why am I not dead then?"

The Doctor didn't want to say it. He didn't but he knew he had to and that scared him. "You aren't dead because you aren't human anymore." He cleared his throat again, staring down at his fingers, once more laced across his stomach. "When you absorbed the time energy, you rewrote your DNA. You are a completely new being, Rose. Well, not completely. To my understanding, you are something like a walking TARDIS."

Rose's face was blank. She was a spaceship? She didn't feel like it. She felt like Rose. Except for the whole fainting thing earlier that is. Rose gaped, "But, I—I'm not, I'm still me. If I'm some kind of TARDIS, how am I still me? Shouldn't I feel something? More power? Feel time around me? Be able to sense something? How can I be something new, yet feel the same?" Suddenly Rose felt like she was drowning. She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. It was too much, too many things were changing. She couldn't handle it. She felt tears rising to the surface and she hid her face in her knees. She tried to stop the sobs she felt coming by breathing slowly. She couldn't. Her back bucked and her chest heaved violently. "Why is all of this happening to _me_?" she gurgled out between sobs.

The Doctor couldn't stand watching her cry like this. He hated it even more that, once again, he had caused her so much pain. He crawled closer to her on his hands and knees then kneeled next to her. His arms circled the quaking ball of flesh that was his Rose and he pulled her close. "I'm so sorry, Rose. This should never have happened to you. You are too good for this." She couldn't see them, but his own dark eyes were soft and misty as he rested his cheek on the top of her head. She was too good for all of these things to happen to her.


End file.
